Night came softly upon Ulawa Island with the slow quieting of the sea. The palms along the shore swayed in long gentle arcs as the stars emerged one by one above the dark water. In the village of Manehana the elders sat around a low fire telling stories of the ghost wind that moved across the island during certain nights when the air felt thin and the veil between worlds loosened. Most children listened with a mix of fear and delight but one child listened more deeply. Her name was Lala and she had always sensed things before others did. When storms were coming she felt it in her bones and when someone was saddened she sensed it even before they spoke.
Her grandmother believed this gift was a sign from the ancestors. She would tell Lala that the spirits did not always speak with voices but sometimes with wind and shadow and small shifts in the air. Lala accepted these teachings even though she did not fully understand them. She simply felt that something in the land listened to her and something within her listened back.
One night during the season when the winds changed direction Lala felt a different kind of breeze sweep across the village. It came softly at first whispering through the pandanus leaves and rattling the thatch roof above her. The air carried a coolness unlike anything she had felt before. It seemed to move with purpose as if guided by unseen hands. As she lay awake she heard faint murmurs floating through the open window. They were neither words nor music but something in between a swirling rhythm of voices layered with sorrow and urgency.
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She sat up and listened closely. The wind gathered strength and flowed down from the ridge where the old burial grounds lay beneath tangled roots and towering trees. The murmurs grew sharper and she began to hear fragments of meaning. She could not explain how she understood them but she felt the message rather than heard it. The ghost wind carried warnings. Something was approaching the island. Something that threatened the harmony of the people. The ancestors were urging her to act before it was too late.
Fear pricked her heart. She wondered whether she should wake her grandmother but the wind pushed against the window shutters with sudden force as if urging her to rise at once. She stood from her mat and stepped outside into the moonlit night. The village slept peacefully. Only the fire’s dim embers glowed. The ghost wind spiraled around her lifting her hair and brushing her cheek like a cold hand. She closed her eyes and listened.
A vision came. She saw a canoe arriving from the east bringing strangers who carried an illness unknown to the people of Ulawa. The sickness would move quickly and quietly if the village did not prepare. She saw her elders performing cleansing rites and families gathering leaves for medicine. She saw the shoreline marked with sacred patterns to protect the community. The ancestors showed her what needed to be done and then the vision faded.
The wind softened and drifted toward the sea leaving behind a deep stillness. Lala knew what she must do. The ancestors had chosen her to carry their warning and she could not remain silent. Though her voice trembled she rushed to the home of the chief. She hesitated only a moment before calling his name. The chief opened his door with a puzzled expression and listened as she described the ghost wind and what it had revealed.
He did not doubt her. The people of Ulawa knew that messages from the ancestors often came through the young for their hearts were clear and their ears unburdened by doubt. He gathered the elders and together they considered the warning. As the sky began to brighten they prepared the rites taught by their forebears. They burned cleansing leaves purified the village paths and prepared healing herbs. They marked the canoes with protective signs and instructed the fishermen not to sail into the forbidden waters where the spirits had stirred the wind.
Later that day a canoe came from the east carrying travelers seeking shelter. The chief welcomed them but kept a careful distance. He invited them to rest in a separate shelter and provided food without contact. The strangers admitted they had been fleeing a sickness that had spread through their homeland. Their story matched the warning the ghost wind had delivered. Because the village had prepared early the people of Ulawa were able to protect themselves. The illness never reached their homes and the village remained safe.
That night as the fire crackled beneath the stars the elders praised Lala for her courage. She sat beside her grandmother who squeezed her hand with pride. The ghost wind returned only briefly brushing the treetops with a soft gentle sigh. It carried no warning this time only gratitude. Lala knew the ancestors would continue to watch over the island and she promised she would keep listening. The wind moved on into the dark horizon while the people of Ulawa gave thanks for the protection offered through the voice of the spirits.
Author’s Note
This tale draws on Codrington’s ethnographic accounts of spiritual beliefs in the Solomon Islands particularly the idea that winds and natural forces can serve as mediums for ancestral communication. The story is a creative retelling shaped to honor Ulawa traditions while remaining accessible to contemporary readers.
Knowledge Check
1. What sound did Lala hear on the night of the ghost wind?
She heard murmuring voices carried by the wind.
2. Why was Lala able to understand the message from the ghost wind?
She possessed natural spiritual sensitivity encouraged by her grandmother.
3. What danger did the ancestors warn her about?
A sickness brought by travelers approaching the island.
4. How did the elders prepare after hearing her warning?
They performed cleansing rites prepared medicines and protected the village paths.
5. Why did the chief believe her story immediately?
Because Ulawa tradition teaches that ancestors often speak through the young.
6. What promise did Lala make at the end of the story?
She promised to always listen to the voice of the ancestors.
